In the American Civil War, the
regiment was made up of a majority of abolitionists from the Brooklyn area. It was led first by Colonel
Alfred Wood. The 14th Brooklyn was involved in heavy fighting, including
most major engagements of the Eastern Theater. Their engagements included the
First and Second Battles of Bull Run, the Battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. During the war, the men of the 14th
Brooklyn were well known by both armies and throughout the country for their
hard drill, hard fighting, and constant refusal to stand down from a fight.
During their three years of service they never withdrew from battle in
unorderly fashion.